1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to aligning devices for coupling a towing or towed vehicle and more particularly an extensible hitch which pivots up and down and sideways in a rotary motion for making a connection to an unaligned vehicle which then telescopes inwardly into a receiving device to complete the alignment as the vehicles are moved closer together.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The standard method of coupling a recreational vehicle, such as a trailer, to a pickup truck is laborous and time consuming. The need to devise a self aligning device to alleviate the problem is of long standing. The difficulty of coupling the two vehicles together concerns the ability of the backing vehicle to approach the towed vehicle in alignment with both hitching connections. This is difficult to do and usually results in angular movement back and forth of the towing vehicle. Subsequently, several patents have been issued disclosing self aligning systems for solving the problem, and including U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,612,576, 3,266,818 and 3,703,243. Each of the three disclosures has similar receiving shaped funnels or housings. Each includes built in track means for guiding a drawbar slidably connected therein. The drawbars are adapted to be coupled angularly to an adjacent hitch of a backing vehicle and then directed along the interior track structure to a locking engagement therein. Otherwise, the means for track guide, rotation of the drawbar, locking mechanism, and stop fixture for limiting outward of the drawbar are different for each system.
In light of the above it is the object of the present invention to illustrate and provide, a distinctly different self aligning apparatus that is efficient, effective and can be manufactured readily and inexpensively.